Rotary engine



(No Model.)

A. N. GILBERT. ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 604,038. Patented M//ay 17,1898.

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Nrrn TATES AUGUSTINE N. GILBERT, OF BERLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

ROTARYENGINE.

SPECIFICATION `forming part of' Letters Patent No. 604,038, dated May 17, 1898.

l applicati@ filed rune 12, m97.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, AUGUSTINE N. GILBERT, of Berlin, in the county of Coos and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exy act description.

My improvement in rotary engines consists, essentially, in two parallel shafts having cylinders or drums placed thereon and connected by a chain passing over the same, to which chain are attached bars extending parallel with the direction of the drums and forming piston-heads. This chain and the drums are surrounded by a casing which forms the cylinder, and the device is provided with suitable steam inlet and exhaust ports and valves and with devices for moving the abutmentplates.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of my device. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken through the upper chamber, through which the chain passes; and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken parallel with one of the drums and upon the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

My invention comprises two parallel shafts B, upon which are mounted drums B', and the latter have their surfaces formed as polygons with a number of sides, each side being adapted to receive one of the links of the chain C, which is made vin duplicate and passes about both of the drumsB. At intervals in its length, preferably equal to the circumference ofthe drum, are attached bars C', which extend both inward and outward from the chain. The drums are provided with grooves C2, adapted to receive that portion of the bars C which projects inward from the chain. These bars are provided with s uitable packing-strips upon each edge designed to make a tight joint between the bars and the passage through which they pass.

, A casingAsurrounds both of the drums and the chain, and it is provided `with a central portion A', lying within the two sides of the' chain and between the cylinders, being con- `and slides upon both parts of the lever.

Serial No. 640,470. (No model.)

nected at each end and closely approximating the outer surface of the cylinder. This leaves a passagebetween the outer portion of the casing andthe inner portion A, which is of such a size that the hars C', forming the pistons, will closely iit therein.- The central i portion A at each end and close to the drums is provided with cross-grooves receiving the auxiliary abutments 4D. These may be extended entirely across the cylinder, but preferably extend simply beneath the chain, and they are held outward against the chain by means of a spirally-coiled spring beneath them. Immediately opposite these abutments D. and sliding within cavities formed in the outer casing A are the main abutments D, which consist of plates connected by stems d4 with a cross-rod a', by which they are operated. These plates or abutments Dare provided with slots D2, which closelyembrace the sides of the chain.

Close 'to the abutments D are steam-inlet ports'and valves E. Thesevalves, as shown,

consist of round bars or cylinders having a plurality of ports `or passages c extending therethrough. VThe valve-stems extend outward through suitable packing-boxes and are 'provided withcrank-arms E', connected by links E2 with levers E3, pivoted' at their rear ends to the casing of the machine and provided intermediate their length with frictionrollers which engage grooves b in the cams p B4, mounted upon the same shaft B as the drums B. The cam-grooves b are so arran ded `as t'o give an intermittent motion to the levers E3, and as a consequence the valves E will be opened immediately after the pistons C have passed the abutments D.

The cross-bar a', to which the abutment is connected, is carried upon one end of a lever D3, which consists of two parts pivoted to each other at d and so arranged that they may be connected so as to act as one lever or Vdisconnected so thatr the motion of one end of the lever will not affect the other end. This is accomplished by placing a blockd upon the lever D3, which block is grooved In Fig-1 the lower right-hand lever D3 is shown with this block moved away from the joint, so

IOO

that the lever is broken or permitted to hinge at its center. The lower left-hand lever, however, has the block d placed at the joint, so as to unite the two parts of the lever to make it a single lever.

To the lever D3 is connected a link D4,which at its other end is connected to a lever D5, which at a point intermediate its length is pivoted to the casing of the machine and at its outer end is provided with a friction-roller engaging the grooves b in the cam-disk B3. As shown in the drawings, four of these camdisks, with the levers described as operated thereby, are provided with each engine, one disk being placed upon each end of each drum.

The cam-groove b is so constructed as to give an intermittent vibrating motion to the lever D5 and a similar motion to the abutment D. The object of multiplying the levers is to insure a quick motion of the abutments and one which will promptly remove the same from the path of the piston and close it close behind the piston. The auxiliary abutment D' has its upper edges beveled, so as to be engaged by the inner edge of the piston and be forced outward thereby.

The levers E3, which operate the valves, are constructed on the same principle as the lever D3, having a similar block e2 sliding upon the two parts of the levers and arranged so as to break the lever in the middle or to connect the two parts, so as to form a rigid lever.

The blocks d are connected by links cl2 with the controlling-lever d3, and the blocks e2 are connected by links e with the same lever d3. The arrangement is such that when the lever d3 is thrown to one side diagonally opposite blocks d and e2 are moved so as to break their respective levers, while the other two diagonally opposite sets of blocks are moved so as to unite the two halves of their levers into a single rigid lever. In consequence of this diagonally opposite abutments are operated together, while the other two abutments are thrown outward, so as to be inoperative.

,Similarly diagonally opposite valves are operated, while the other two valves are inoperative-that is, remain closed.

The casing A is provided with exhaust-passages ct, which are four in number, two of which are in use at a time.

To reverse the engine, the lever d3 is thrown to the opposite side of the center,whioh closes the two valves formerly in use and opens the two valves which were closed, at the same time changing the abutments which are operative.

The result is that the direction of the motion of the chain is reversed.

The pistons C are preferably provided with inset-balls h, which bear against the sides of the cylinder and reduce friction.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A rotary engine, comprising parallel rotative drums, a chain passing about said drums, and having plates attached thereto and acting as pistons, a casing surrounding the paths of said pistons and also extending within the chain between the drums, said casing having steam inlet and exhaust ports and valves controlling the steamports, abntments having slots to accommodate the chain, cams mounted upon the drum-shafts, and mechan.

ism connecting said cams with the abutments and valves, substantially as described.

2. A rotary engine having two sets of abutments and steam-valves adapted to be alternately used in reversing the operation of the en gine,vibrating levers actuating said valves, each of said levers being composed of two parts pivoted Yto each other, and a coupling block or sleeve adapted to connect and disl connect the two parts to make of them a rigid or a jointed lever, substantially as described. 3. A rotary engine having two sets of abutments and steam-valves-adapted to be alternately used in reversing the operation of the engine, vibrating levers actuating the same, each composed of two parts pivoted to each other, a coupling block or sleeve adapted to connect and disconnect the two parts to make of them a rigid or a jointed lever, a common reversing lever, and links connecting the same with said coupling-blocks, substantially as described.

AUGUSTINE N. GILBERT. Witnesses:

BERT vL. PIKE, JOSEPH H. BATES. 

